New Lease on Life
by YamiKaykaMotou
Summary: Bakura finds a spell to give himself a body of his own, but something unexpected happens. Later, Bakura tries to trick Atem into using it. Ryou/Bakura, Atem/Yugi. COMPLETE.
1. Part One

**I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! This story has two endings, the second one will be part two.**

Bakura grinned at the page in his hand. He had found it in an Ancient Egypt book at the library and copied it on the library's copier- at Ryou's insistence. The page contained a spell to give a disembodied spirit a body of its own. That sounded perfect to him. As much as he enjoyed sharing Ryou's body and reading the boy's mind, there were times he wanted his own body so that he could introduce a physical aspect to his relationship with his white-haired boyfriend.

_"Bakura, are you sure this'll work?"_ Ryou asked.

_"It'll work."_

_ "What if it doesn't?"_

_ "Then, nothing will happen. Honestly, Ryou, you worry too much. You wouldn't have made it as a tomb robber or a thief in my time."_

_ "Well, I would hope not! I'm not a criminal!"_

_ "I know and that's one of the reasons why I love you. Now, please let me concentrate on this spell."_

Silence from Ryou. Bakura nodded. He loved Ryou very much, but his shy, quiet personality was a little too shy and quiet sometimes. He exhaled slowly before focusing on the hieroglyphs and started to chant.

He knew it was working when he saw a double vision of his hands. The spell was essentially copying the body with his features and then his soul would be transferred to the copied body. He shut his eyes as a wave of nausea and light-headedness came over him. Was this his soul being transferred to his new body? The odd sensations abruptly ended and he automatically put his hands on his knees, breathing hard and his ears picked up the sound of someone else nearby also breathing hard.

_That's Ryou breathing which means the spell worked! We are two separate people!_

"B-Bakura?" Ryou gasped with amazement. "Is that you?"

"Of course it is." Bakura froze at the sound of his voice. Why did it sound higher? He opened his eyes as he straightened up. He moved to Ryou's full-length mirror, looked into it, and screamed.

No wonder Ryou was amazed. Bakura was a girl now! Instead of being a little taller than Ryou, she was now his height. Bakura's eyes were unchanged as was the hair, which was what the spell was supposed to do. However, the rest of her was slender and delicate-looking. She stared at her face with its full lips, down to her breasts, and finally to her shapely waist and legs. "This can't be right," she said. "Ryou, let me see that spell again."

Ryou complied since it was in his hand and Bakura scanned it carefully, her eyes widening as she did so. She lowered the page and muttered, "Damn."

"Bakura, what is it? Why didn't the spell work right? Did you pronounce a word wrong?"

"Oh, it worked just fine. I failed to notice that it's a yin-yang spell. It doubled your body while I was in control for me to inhibit it, however the body's gender is the exact opposite of the original. Furthermore, this is a one-way spell and no way to reverse it."

"So you're a girl for the rest of your life." It was a statement, not a question.

"That's right. I doubt I'll act like a girl, though."

"That's fine with me. You're still you, Bakura. It's just your body that's different."

"You're absolutely right. I may look like a girl, but that doesn't change who I am or my feelings. I still love you, Ryou."

"And I still love you, too." Ryou embraced Bakura, who almost melted at Ryou's touch. They never hugged in their Soul Corridor, so this was their first one. As she enjoyed the embrace, a thought occurred to her. "Ryou, correct me if I'm wrong, but Yugi and the pharaoh love each other like we do, yes?"

"Yeah, they do."

"Suppose I paid them a visit with this spell."

"What!? You want to turn Atem into a girl!?"

"I do. I think it would be fun." Bakura stepped back and gave Ryou an evil grin.

"Uh, Bakura? One problem: You're a girl. They won't believe you're who you say you are."

"I can come up with an explanation."

"Would you really be all right using this on Atem without telling him exactly how it works and that there's no counterspell?"

"Yes, I would. I practically live to irritate and annoy the pharaoh and this trick would be the greatest one of all."

"I don't know, Bakura. It doesn't seem right to disrupt their lives like this."

"You don't want me to do it."

"No, I don't, but I realize that I can't stop you now that you have your own body." Ryou shrugged. "Heck, I couldn't even stop you even when we shared my body."

"Oh, Ryou. You know I would do anything to make you happy. If you don't want me to use it on the pharaoh, then I won't." Bakura tossed the paper into a nearby trash can.

"Bakura, thank you!" Ryou embraced her again before leaning forward and giving her their first kiss.

Bakura spent the next couple of weeks adjusting to being a girl and having her own body. She was disappointed when she found that she lost some strength in her upper body but found her legs had some extra power. Ryou had insisted on clothes shopping the day after the spell. It was embarrassing for both of them, but at least Bakura now had clothes that fit her. She bought only shirts and pants in addition to shoes, socks, panties, and bras.

She and Ryou spent time exploring their relationship anew. They were exploring the physical aspect such as holding hands, hugging, and kissing. Bakura found her skin to be a bit more sensitive than Ryou's back when she had control of the body. She didn't mind; it made physical contact much more pleasurable.

Ryou enjoyed pleasing Bakura and vice versa. Neither one wanted to have sex, feeling they were both too young and too new to their relationship to possibly becoming parents. Ryou was content to see how Bakura's girl form felt. He found the skin to be soft, the hair to be silky, and when kissing, the lips were smooth and soft. This was very different from before. Their relationship had been mostly verbal with some contact via their souls in his mind. But now…

"This is nice," Ryou said softly as they sat on his bed, Bakura against his chest and his arms around her waist. He nuzzled her hair with his cheek and he heard a murmur of contentment.

"We never had this kind of contact in our soul corridor," Bakura agreed, lightly fingering the Millennium Ring around her neck. When they had returned from their shopping trip, Ryou had taken off the Ring and put it around Bakura's neck. "Technically, the Ring belongs to you," he had said. "Now that you have a body, you should wear it."

"Ryou," she said, sitting up and turning to him. "After these last two weeks, I find that I rather like and enjoy my new body. I believe I am what is called a tomboy."

"I'm happy that you're comfortable being a girl and yes, you are a tomboy, but I like you that way."

A doorbell chimed and Ryou leaped off the bed and out the door while Bakura turned back around and flopped on the bed. Ryou went down the stairs as the bell chimed again. "Coming," he called. He cracked open the door, peered out, and then opened the door fully, smiling. "Yugi, hi!"

"Hey, Ryou!" Yugi stepped inside and Ryou closed the door. "I thought we'd stop by for a visit." He put a hand to the puzzle to indicate the pharaoh. "Uh, where's the Ring? I mean, I understand that you and Bakura are a couple."

"It's upstairs. Bakura's asleep right now." It wasn't a total lie: The Ring was upstairs, but he doubted Bakura was asleep when, in fact, Bakura was doing just that. _I just have to make sure to refer to Bakura as "he" when talking about her. Despite her being comfortable with her new gender, I'm pretty sure she's not ready for our friends to find out._

Ryou and Yugi made small talk as they stepped into the living room and once Ryou went to get some snacks, Atem appeared in spirit form and pulled Yugi onto his lap and up to his chest. Yugi used to wonder how Atem was able to touch him as a spirit, but now he simply enjoyed the attention.

_"Yugi, I sense Ryou is hiding something."_

_ "Hmm. How can you tell?"_

_ "I hear it in his tone and I see it in his body language."_

_ "Ah. Do you wanna take over and ask him?"_

_ "Thank you, Yugi. I think I will."_ The puzzle glowed as Atem took control and Yugi retreated to his Soul Room. Ryou came in with a tray and put it down before looking up into Atem's sharp eyes. "Oh!" he said, startled by the abrupt change in company before nodding. "Hi, Atem."

"Ryou, I sense you're hiding something," Atem began as Ryou sat down. "You rarely take the Ring off and you and Bakura are just as inseparable and Yugi and I. Is everything all right between you two?"

Ryou smiled happily. "Couldn't be better. Really,"' he added at Atem's skeptical look.

Atem stood in Ryou's bathroom looking at Yugi in the mirror. _"He's still hiding something. He claims his relationship with Bakura is fine. But, if that's the case, then why is he not wearing the Ring?"_

_ "Yeah, that is odd,"_ Yugi agreed.

Atem turned from the mirror and left the room. He wondered if there was a different angle in questioning Ryou. Perhaps remind him that they're friends and friends help each other? A Tea thing to say, but yes, it could work. As he was passing Ryou's bedroom, he heard the mattress squeak and a soft female sigh. He looked at the door curiously. Was it possible that Ryou had a girlfriend and took off the Ring so as to avoid Bakura's anger? He stepped up to the door and carefully pushed it open before entering.

Curled up on the bed, lightly dozing and wearing the Millennium Ring, was a girl who bore a strong resemblance to Bakura. She was quite lovely and he could see why Ryou might be seeing her. The girl's eyes snapped open to reveal sharp brown eyes and as she sat up, she stared at Atem with a look of fear and anger.

"It's all right. I won't hurt you," Atem said, holding up his hands. "My name's Atem. What's yours?"

The girl leaped off the bed and glared at him. "I know who you are, _pharaoh_," she hissed.

Atem's eyes widened and he took a step back. That tone and the words were _very_ familiar, plus her look and the fact that she was wearing the Ring. He stared at the girl, stunned. "B-Bakura? What?"

"A spell gone wrong. It was supposed to separate me from Ryou so we could have a physical relationship, but somehow I ended up as a girl. I'm not going to act like a girl, I merely look and sound like one."

"How long have you been like this?"

"Two weeks. I should point out that there's no counter spell, but Ryou and I are okay with that. Our relationship is better than before." Bakura knew she was telling the truth there: Atem and Yugi could only be together if the Puzzle was being worn.

Atem felt the shock fall away and as he listened to Bakura's new voice and looked at her body, he felt amused by the whole thing. He felt his lips curl up in a smirk and put hand over his mouth to hide it.

But Bakura was a master of body language and saw Atem's eyes crinkle up in amusement. "What is so damned funny, pharaoh?" she snapped, hands on her hips.

"You," he snickered. "The King of Thieves is now a girl."

"Stop laughing or I'll incorrectly cast the spell on you and you can share my situation," she threatened.

Atem quickly brought himself under control. "My apologies, but admit it: You would be laughing if our situations were reversed."

"Yeah," Bakura admitted. "I would be laughing- hard." She smirked. "Actually, I can just imagine you as a girl and it amuses me."

"I'm please you're amused at my expense," Atem said dryly. "You said it was a spell gone wrong. Are you sure it's irreversible?"

"Pretty sure. Here, I have a copy of it." Bakura opened a drawer where her shirts were and retrieved the page that she had fished out of the trash can shortly after tossing it in the can when Ryou wasn't looking.

There were footsteps on the stairs. "Atem? You okay?" came Ryou's voice. He saw his bedroom door open a little wider than it was earlier and he was shocked to see Atem there and receiving a photocopied paper from Bakura. He entered and both boy and girl looked up, the former looking guilty.

"Ryou, I'm sorry I snooped. I was concerned that you and Bakura's relationship was over and that Bakura refused to accept it and was bullying you back into it. I came in here and saw Bakura, thinking she was a new girlfriend."

"Well, she kind of is new and a girlfriend, but she's still the same Bakura I know and love."

"Yes, I found that out. She threatened me with this spell if I didn't stop laughing." He held up the paper.

Ryou whirled around to look at his girlfriend. "Bakura…" he said, the unspoken sentence hanging between them.

She shrugged. "I just held the paper out. He chose to accept it."

"I thought you threw it away."

"Perhaps it's fortunate that he, I'm sorry, she didn't." He quickly looked the paper over. "If I can figure out where the spell went wrong, maybe I can reverse it, or at least the gender part."

"If you can," Bakura said slowly and suggestively. "Maybe you can use it to separate from Yugi."

Atem blinked at Bakura and then looked down at the paper. If he did solve the problem, maybe he could use it, but would Yugi be okay with that?

_"Of course I would,"_ Yugi piped in, subtly reminding Atem that his thoughts were open to his boyfriend and vice versa. _"It would be nice to be together and not need the puzzle."_

_ "Yes, it would."_

Atem came back to the real world by Ryou snatching the paper from him and ripping it to pieces. "Ryou! Why did you do that?"

"I can't let you use it! Bakura was trying to trick you!"

"What?"

"She didn't read or cast it wrong. She just didn't notice that it was a yin-yang spell. It essentially copies the body but the gender is the opposite of the original."

Atem glared at Bakura who seemed disappointed that Ryou ruined her trick. "You knew you used it right and you had planned to have me as a girl, too!"

"Yeah, I did. I would have had a real good laugh at your shock, but _someone_ had to ruin it." She looked sternly at Ryou, who looked at her levelly.

"Sorry, Bakura. I told you I didn't want you disrupt their lives and yet you still thought about it. You said if I didn't want you to do it, then you wouldn't."

Bakura lowered her eyes. "You're right," she said softly. "I said if not using it made you happy then I wouldn't. I'm sorry I went back on my promise."

Ryou went over and hugged her. "Apology accepted. You just need to be more honest and keep your promises."

Bakura hugged back. "I'll try. For you, I'll certainly try."

The End


	2. Alternate Ending

Alternate Ending

"Perhaps it's fortunate that he, I'm sorry, she didn't." He quickly looked the paper over. He didn't see anything wrong with it. It would copy the current body and then transfer his soul into it. He folded the paper and put it in his jacket's inside pocket. "I'll look it over at home and call if I find a solution."

Bakura kept a straight face as she said, "Sure, I understand." Inwardly, she was annoyed. She had been hoping Atem would try it out right here and now so that she could laugh at a female Atem as well as the shocked and angry expression on her face. _I guess I could wait a little longer. No doubt Atem will come back to yell at me when he becomes a she._

Yugi laid the paper on the desk while Atem looked at it over his shoulder. He read it carefully and frowned. _"There's no mistake: Bakura cast it correctly. It's possible she failed to read that the copied body is the opposite gender of the original body."_ He shuddered. _"If I had cast it right there, I would have been a girl with no way to reverse it."_

_ "But would that have been so bad?"_ Yugi said slowly and carefully. _"I mean, Bakura's a girl, but she still acts like she always has. Plus, you would have your own body."_

_ "Yes, she does and I would. But, if I know Bakura, I bet she's hoping I wouldn't read it thoroughly and cast the spell just so she can have a laugh."_

Both boys looked at the paper for a time. Finally, Yugi said, _"I have a feeling both of us would make a pretty girl."_

_ "I have the same feeling, but it's to be used on a disembodied soul, such as myself. I would be the girl, not you."_

_ "Oh. Uh, why are we talking like you're going to use it? You said that it's Bakura's idea of a joke."_

_ "I did say that and I still believe that. But you had asked if it would be so bad if I was a girl as well as having my own body. What if we tricked the trickster by giving her what she wants?"_

_ "Huh?"_ Yugi looked up and over at Atem to see a mischievous glint in his eye. _"Atem, what are you thinking?"_

_ "Bakura expects me to cast the spell unaware of its "side effect." She then expects me to storm over to the house to yell at her which is when she'll laugh and admit that she knew she didn't cast it wrong. Tricking me like that would amuse her greatly. She admitted that earlier."_

_ "Yeah, she did and that sounds like something Bakura would do. So, what's your idea?"_

_ "I cast the spell, fully aware of what it does. I pretend to go to Bakura angry and when she laughs and admits the trick, I'll laugh and tell her I knew about her trick all along."_

Yugi chuckled. _"She wouldn't like being out-tricked. But, Atem, are you sure about this? After all, you could use the puzzle to cast an illusion. If you use the spell, you'll be a girl for the rest of your life."_

_ "Yes, I could use the puzzle, but the spell would allow us to be together without it. I would be a girl in body, but I'll still be the same Atem you know and love. And I'll still love you."_

Yugi was silent for a moment and then slowly, _"It would be nice to be together without the puzzle and I'm rather curious about how you would look as a girl."_

_ "Then let me take over and we can find out."_

Atem tilted her head as she looked in the mirror. Her eyes, height, and hair color hadn't changed, however her spiky hair now laid down just past her shoulders. She was slender like Bakura, but her face looked more feminine than Bakura, and best of all, her clothes still fit- except for the shoes.

"We may want to buy some girl clothes anyway," Yugi spoke up from his bed. "But, Atem, I think you're beautiful."

"Thank you, Yugi," Atem finally said in a voice that was a little lower than Tea's, but it served to enhance the overall effect. "You know I don't plan on wearing dresses. Except maybe on special occasions."

"Such as?"

"Well, prom for one and graduation, oh and our wedding."

"You know we can't hide this from Grandpa and I think he will want to enroll you in school which means you'll have to wear a skirt."

"Yes, we can't hide this. In that case, let's show Grandpa and have him take us clothes shopping. I plan to go to Bakura and Ryou's to foil her trick tomorrow."

"I thought you threw it away."

"I did. I just fished it out later on."

Ryou moaned. "Bakura, I said not to use it."

"So you did. However, I'm not using it; the pharaoh is."

Ryou moaned again and pulled a pillow over his head while Bakura leaned against a wall, examining her nails. She looked at him, her eyebrow raised. "Why didn't you take it from him before?"

Ryou removed the pillow. "I'm hoping he reads it thoroughly, unlike you."

Bakura frowned. "Damn, he would do that. Still, he might come by to chew me out about trying to trick him. It would be funny to see him so angry."

"And when do you expect him to show up?"

"I'd say tomorrow at the earliest."

Ryou shook his head. The way Bakura talked, it sounded like she wanted a scolding no matter what the outcome; she also get a laugh either way. Obviously, she wanted her trick to work; Ryou didn't.

_If Atem became a girl, how would he and Yugi feel about that? What would their grandpa think?_

Grandpa stroked his chin as he circled Atem for what seemed like the hundredth time. Atem felt her face flush with embarrassment. What was Grandpa doing: Checking her out from every angle? She was still wearing a copy of Yugi's clothes, plus she was just a girl. He had seen girls before.

Grandpa finally stopped, facing both of them. "So, let me see if I got this right," he said. "Bakura found this spell to give a spirit physical form, but failed to realize that it would be the opposite gender of Ryou. He, er, she then gives it to you, Atem, in hope that you'll use it without checking it. Am I right so far?"

"Yes," Atem answered. Was Grandpa angry for her reckless action? It was hard to tell: He was speaking matter-of-factly.

"But you _did_ check it and figured out Bakura's plan. So, you decided to give her what she wants. The twist is that you already know it was a trick, so this is your way of out-tricking her."

"Yes. I'll admit we could have used the puzzle to trick her, but this seemed more fitting. It would be worth it to see the look on Bakura's face when I tell her that I knew what she had been planning."

"I see. Very sneaky."

"You're not angry are you Grandpa?" Yugi pleaded.

"No, not really. If you had mentioned it to me before using the spell, then I might have talked you out of it. However, what's done is done, so no point in scolding or being angry. Atem, if I may say so, you are quite a lovely young lady right now. Plus, I would be willing to take both of you shopping for clothes and essentials Atem needs such as toiletries." Grandpa herded both out the door and they spent the next few hours selecting clothes, shoes, and items that neither Atem nor Yugi considered when the pharaoh chose to be a girl.

"Being a girl seems more…complicated than we first thought," Atem said as she put her new purchases away.

"Yeah, it does, but at least Grandpa's letting us sleep in the same room." Yugi nodded to the guest bed that had been moved into Yugi's room. The puzzle hung from the left post at the head of the bed. You felt that, even though he had put it together, it had originally belonged to Atem and said that she should be the one to wear it. Atem compromised by saying she would wear it when not in school and Yugi would wear it while in school to which Yugi agreed.

Yugi and Atem changed into night clothes, Atem feeling a little self-conscious about doing so, before Atem sat on Yugi's bed and pulled the small boy onto her lap like she usually did. Yugi shifted himself sideways so that he could lay his head on Atem's shoulder and put a hand on the back of the head to stroke Atem's hair. It was soft, silky, and of course, spiky.

Atem's arms went around Yugi's waist and pulled him closer to her. It wasn't easy with her breasts nor was it comfortable with Yugi pressed against them, but Atem knew that they would be able to make it work in time.

"Is this uncomfortable for you?" Atem said softly.

"Not really. It's more…awkward actually. What about you? Is it uncomfortable?"

"A little but it's understandable that it feels the way it does. I did just become a girl today. We'll make it work eventually."

"Of course, we will." Yugi crawled off Atem's lap and under the covers, yawning. Atem stifled a yawn as she, too, went to bed.

Ryou kept his back to Bakura's bed that was on the other side of the room. He was still upset that Bakura had lied to him. Or did she lie? _Well, maybe not, but I didn't expect her to retrieve the paper after tossing it in the can. She was also trying to trick Atem into using the spell. I don't approve of trying to trick a friend. I won't talk, apologize, or forgive her until I know what happened with Atem. At least, I know that Bakura won't cry or beg me to talk to her. As far as she's concerned, she hasn't done anything wrong._

Bakura stared at Ryou's back before rolling over. She knew Ryou was upset with her. She didn't feel any guilt with retrieving the spell and trying to get Atem to use it. She was sad that Ryou was mad at her. _He doesn't understand,_ she thought._ The pharaoh laughed at me being a girl so a perfect revenge would be for him to be a girl, too. Of course, I have to wait until tomorrow or longer to find out if he fell for it or not. Hopefully, Ryou will stop being mad at me once we find out what happened._ Bakura closed her eyes and fell asleep. Across the room, Ryou did the same.

_Ryou won't even look at me,_ Bakura thought in surprise the next morning._ I thought girls were experts in the silent treatment and the cold shoulder, but Ryou seems to be better at both than girls are. Well, fine. I'm not going to plead and beg for him to talk to me and he knows I won't. Begging and pleading are what girls do, especially weak girls and I am not weak or a typical girl._

Although neither one of them mentioned who would open the door, both knew that if Atem came, they would hear a pounding on the door and not a doorbell. So, whenever the bell rang, Ryou answered the door.

Bakura nearly jumped in her chair when she heard a loud, angry-sounding banging on the door. _This is it,_ she thought as she went to the door with Ryou trailing behind her since he was curious about what was going to happen. Bakura put her hand on the doorknob, took a deep breath, and let it out slowly before opening the door.

Atem strode down the sidewalk to Ryou's house, looking forward to her encounter with the tomb robber. She insisted to Yugi that she go alone and Yugi agreed, making Atem promise to tell him what happened.

As she reached the front door, she took a moment to check her clothes: They were the same ones she had been wearing when she had separated from Yugi. She had added female undergarments, boots like Yugi's in her size, and the Millennium Puzzle. Good. It made it look like she had left the house shortly after finding herself as a girl instead of a boy- except for the puzzle. But since they weren't in school, it was Atem's turn with the puzzle. She raised her fist and banged on the door loud and hard to convey anger. She lowered her arm and stood there with clenched fists and arranged her face into a look of fury.

The door opened and there was Bakura, looking calm and collected. "Atem," she said, sounding pleasant. "Please come in." She stepped aside, looking the female pharaoh over as she entered. _She looks more feminine than I do. Oh, that's just too perfect._

Once the door had closed, Atem turned on her heel to give Bakura a death glare. "How dare you," she snarled in a low voice. "I truly believed you cast it wrong so I tried it this morning. As you can see, it worked same as before. When I looked again, I saw it was called the yin-yang spell. But, of course you knew that!" Atem's voice rose as her anger spilled over. "You'll pay for this, Bakura! I swear to the gods, you'll pay!"

Ryou listened to the tirade, stunned. Atem _didn't_ read it thoroughly? _I thought for sure he, er, she would. Now she's a girl for good and she's pretty ticked off at Bakura. I didn't think she'd be this angry. However, I'm glad Bakura's getting chewed out like this. I would be willing to talk her again._

Bakura waited until Atem was done before saying, "Of course I knew I cast it right. The thing is, it's your fault you believed me and was so eager to have your own body that you cast it without double-checking it. It seems your ego convinced you that you could succeed where I failed." She smirked and laughed loud and hard. "Pharaoh, you look more like a girl than I do! This is better than I imagined!" Bakura threw back her head and howled with laughter.

Atem smirked as her rival laughed and said, "When you're done laughing, I have something else to tell you."

Bakura took a couple of deep breaths, looked at Atem again, and let out a few more snickers before controlling herself. "All right. What else do you have to say?"

Still smirking, Atem said, "The joke's on you, Bakura. I _did_ read the spell thoroughly and figured out that you were trying to trick me into using it. I thought it would be amusing to _let_ you think you succeeded and then tell you that you didn't."

Bakura's mouth fell open before saying, "You knew it was a trick and yet you became a girl anyway just to trick me?" Her face turned red with anger. "You tricked me! Damn you, pharaoh!" Bakura stomped up the stairs and slammed the bedroom door.

Ryou and Atem looked at each other before they burst out laughing. Atem wiped tears from her eyes; she was laughing that hard. "Oh," she gasped as she got her breath back. "That was funny."

Ryou chuckled. "She didn't see that coming. She figured you would come to scold her for trying to trick you or yell at her for tricking you. So…you did use the spell on purpose. I mean, this isn't an illusion cast by the puzzle?" He nodded at the item.

"No illusion, Ryou, though Yugi and I did consider that at first. But, I really did use the spell. This is how I'll look from now on." She looked at the stairs. "Will you be okay with Bakura being so angry right now?"

"Yeah. She'll calm down and who knows? Maybe she'll come to appreciate that she can be tricked instead doing the tricking."

"Maybe." Deep down, Atem doubted it, but it amused her to know that she was capable of tricking a trickster.

Yugi fell back on his bed, laughing so hard tears came to his eyes. "Boy, was Bakura mad!" Yugi finally managed to say, wiping away the tears.

Atem giggled. "I never saw someone's face turn red like that before. Ryou wondered if the puzzle was casting an illusion and I told him no. He also assured me that Bakura will eventually calm down. I doubt she'll ever forgive me for tricking her."

"I don't think so, either." Yugi eased himself off the bed, crossed the room to Atem's, climbed up, and got behind Atem, putting his arms around her waist. "But you probably don't care if she ever does, huh?" Yugi nuzzled the side of Atem's neck.

"Not in the slightest. Mmm, Yugi that feels good."

Yugi smirked at her reaction. "Maybe you should let me please you from now on."

Atem whipped around and pinned Yugi to the bed. "I don't think so," she teased. "We'll take turns." She leaned down and gave Yugi a passionate kiss that he eagerly responded to with equal passion.

"Mmm, Atem? You know we'll have to tell our friends about this."

"Yes, I know. I suspect they'll be stunned and probably not laugh."

"If the guys do, I imagine Tea will scold them."

"I can easily see that."

"Grandpa told me that he'll be enrolling you in a few days so you can start the new school year with the rest of us." Yugi ran his fingers over Atem's hair.

"Sounds good. So, when do we tell the others?"

"How about in two days? I'd like to see how different our relationship is now."

"Agreed."

Ryou knocked on the bedroom door about ten minutes after Atem left. "Bakura? Can I come in?"

"Of course, baka," came the reply. "It's your room, too."

Ryou sweat dropped, but entered anyway. Bakura was lying on her back, arms under her head, staring at the ceiling. Her gaze shifted to Ryou. "So, you're talking to me again?"

"I figured I should after Atem finished yelling at you."

"Yeah, well, turns out it was all a trick. She cast that spell on purpose."

"She did. I have to say, though you didn't see that coming."

"No, I didn't. She doesn't strike me as the tricking type."

"True." Ryou moved to the side of the bed, leaned down, and kissed Bakura, one hand stroking the hair.

Bakura's eyes widened at first, then closed in pleasure. Her hands went to the back of Ryou's neck and pulled him closer, deepening the kiss. She then started running her fingers through his hair.

Both eventually released and smiled gently at one another. "So, I take it I'm forgiven?" asked Bakura.

"Yes. I honestly can't stay mad at you."

"Because I'm just so damned fabulous?"

Ryou laughed. No, because I love you."

"Yes, well, that too." She then grinned slightly, pulled Ryou onto the bed next to her, and pulled off his shirt.

Ryou blushed and put his shirt on top of his chest. "B-Bakura!" he sputtered.

"Oh, relax. That was as far as I was going." She took the shirt away and started massaging the shoulders and then the chest.

Ryou moaned as the massaging continued. Bakura's touches felt so good and he considered returning the favor. After all, he was the guy in the relationship and he should please his girlfriend. _But, Bakura's not really a girl. She just looks like one and she's really the more dominant one of the two of us. Plus, her chest isn't exactly flat._

Bakura's fingers left his chest and Ryou, whose eyes had closed, opened them and looked over. Bakura had removed her shirt and was sliding her bra down and unhooking it. Bakura looked at him slyly. "It's only fair you have a turn," she said. She laid back down on her side and waited for Ryou to begin.

He slowly reached over to cup one of Bakura's breasts. He raised his hand up and down a few times to judge its heft. "Do they feel heavy?"

"They did at first, but I eventually got used to them."

Ryou nodded as he gently released her breast and moved up to massage the shoulders. He was rewarded with a moan and he grinned at the response as he moved to the collarbone. An even longer moan followed. _She's really enjoying this._ He ran a finger down between the breasts and Bakura gasped slightly. _I guess the breasts and the area in between are sensitive._ He gently cupped and stroked Bakura's breasts until she rolled over, turning her back on him. "I think that's enough for now," she said before sitting up and pulling her bra and shirt on. Ryou did the same with his shirt.

"Well, that was exciting," Bakura commented, turning around, brushing back her hair, and burying her face in Ryou's own hair.

"I didn't know your chest was so sensitive," Ryou said.

"Neither did I. Ryou, when does school begin?"

"In a few weeks. Hey, why don't you enroll?"

Bakura lifted her face. "Ryou, I think I'm a little old for school."

"You might want to look in the mirror again. You could practically pass for my twin sister!"

"True, but still…"

"You won't get bored waiting for me to come home."

"I wouldn't, would I? All right, Ryou. I'll enroll."

Ryou hugged her. "Thanks. Sometimes I get lonely in class."

"Even with Yugi and his friends there?"

"Yeah, even with them there."

Atem adjusted her shirt and ran a hand down her hair. The day to tell their friends had arrived. Yugi had called the day before to set up the get together, hinting that he had a surprise for them: Atem knew she was the surprise and for some reason, she was nervous.

"Nervous?" Yugi echoed when Atem told him as they walked toward the square. "Atem, they're our friends. You know them."

"I was a guy, then. Now that I'm a girl, it's like I'm meeting them all over again plus I have my own body."

Yugi nodded thoughtfully. "Okay, I can see why you're nervous. But, I'll be right beside you."

Atem smiled as they approached the square and under the clock were their friends Joey, Tea, and Tristan. They waved happily to Yugi, but looked curiously at Atem. Her nervousness grew: Did they really not recognize her? _I didn't think I looked too different from my male self. Or is it the fact that I'm wearing the Millennium Puzzle?_

"Hey, Yug'! Great to see ya," Joey said, putting Yugi in a friendly headlock before letting go. He flashed a friendly smile at Atem before adding, "So, is this the surprise, Yugi? You got a girlfriend? I thought you loved Atem."

Tea tilted her head. "You know, she looks a lot like Atem."

"That's because she is Atem," Yugi answered.

"Huh?" all three chorused and Atem put a hand to her mouth to avoid laughing at their reaction.

"It's kind of a long story," Yugi said. "It started with Bakura finding a spell to give a spirit its own body. It copied Ryou's body for Bakura to have, only the body was female."

Joey snickered. "So, Bakura's a girl? Oh, that is too funny."

"Well, that's how the spell works," Atem said, removing her hand and taking a moment to see the looks on their friends' faces at hearing her voice. "Bakura thought about tricking me into using it by saying that she must have cast it wrong. I read it carefully and figured out her plan. I decided to give her what she wanted and once she had her laugh, I told her I knew her trick which I ruined by casting the spell on purpose."

"I'm guessing there's no way to reverse it," Tristan said.

Atem nodded. "That's right. Believe me, I'm still adjusting to this myself."

"Still? Atem, how long have you been a girl?" Tea asked.

Atem quickly added up the days and replied. "Only four days. Why?"

"There's probably some things about girls you don't know about."

Atem stepped up to Tea and gestured for her to come closer. She did so and Atem whispered in her ear, "I know about periods if that's what you're talking about."

A brief look of relief crossed her face before whispering back, "Yeah, it was. Good to know I don't have to explain."

"Oh, by the way," Yugi said. "Atem's going to be going to school with us!"

Yugi snuggled closer to Atem, his chest against her back. After a fun-filled day with their friends and a couple of whispered conversations between Tea and Atem, some which involved some giggling, Yugi suggested re-arranging the room so that the desk was on the side where Yugi's bed had been, the dressers were on the side where Atem's bed had been, and their beds were pushed together under the roof window.

"Hmm, Atem was Tea sharing more girl tips earlier?"

"Yeah, among other things. Apparently, girls shave their legs when wearing shorts, skirts, dresses- anything the exposes the legs, actually."

"Ah, that explains why Tea's legs always look nice."

"It does. She showed me what I needed and I bought them today."

"You couldn't use the cream and razors Grandpa uses?"

"Apparently not. It's fine, though." She yawned and then smiled as Yugi moved closer. They had become closer and more in love in the last four days. Atem knew she owed her happiness to Bakura. If Bakura hadn't found that spell, both of them would still be male and spirits.

_I plan to practice shaving since it is summertime and it would be more comfortable wearing shorts in this weather. I plan to be proficient in shaving by the time school starts since I have to wear a skirt. I obviously still have a lot to learn and as strange as it'll feel doing them, I'll eventually get used to it. After all, I'll be a girl until I die and I do like being a girl now. Maybe I should thank Bakura next time I see her._ She sighed softly as she fell asleep, truly looking forward to her new lease on life.

The End


End file.
